Mike Shugrue

After high school in Uxbridge, Massachusetts, and a brief stint at nearby Worcester State College, Mike Shugrue hit the road and hitchhiked around the country for five years. Afterward, he returned to Boston and worked as a travel counselor at AAA. “I went to open mic nights and did comedy,” he says. “It was an early experience that led to what I’m doing now.” Shugrue first visited Eugene in 1996, a year before he married his wife Patricia, a North Eugene high school grad. “We thought about moving,” he says, “but we stayed 18 more years in North Smithfield, Rhode Island.” When he was laid off from his financial services job in 2002, the firm paid for college. “I got a psychology degree from Worcester State,” he says. “I started working in human services in my late 40s.” He first worked with disabled adults in independent living, but soon was working with kids. In 2010, he began a collaboration with Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, involving kids with intellectual and developmental disabilities in theatrical productions. “It was eight years ago,” he notes, “that I finally found a passion.” He and Patricia moved west in 2014. A year later, he found work as a program supervisor with Full Access, an agency that supports people with disabilities who live independently or with their families. In the past two years, he has launched an improv theater group called Stray Cast, for adults with disabilities, that meets twice a month at the Oregon Contemporary Theatre, and a similar group for high school age kids that meets weekly at C-Space in Springfield. “Improv helps with social skill building and peer interactions,” he says, “in a safe, respectful area.”

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!